Psychological evaluation and cope with trigeminal neuralgia and temporomandibular disorder.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the psychological aspects of orofacial pain in trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and temporomandibular disorder (TMD), and associated factors of coping as limitations in daily activities and feelings about the treatment and about the pain.


METHODS
30 patients were evaluated (15 with TN and 15 with TMD) using a semi-directed interview and the Hospital Anxiety Depression (HAD) scale.


RESULTS
TN patients knew more about their diagnosis (p<0.001). Most of the patients with TN considered their disease severe (87%), in opposite to TMD (p=0.004); both groups had a high level of limitations in daily activities, and the most helpful factors to overcome pain were the proposed treatment followed by religiosity (p<0.04). Means of HAD scores were 10.9 for anxiety (moderate) and 11.67 for depression (mild), and were not statistically different between TMD and NT (p=0.20).


CONCLUSIONS
TN and TMD had similar scores of anxiety and depression, therefore patients consider TN more severe than TMD. Even with higher limitations, patients with TN cope better with their disease then patients with TMD.
Castro
Adriana Ronchetti de
AR
Hospital das Clínicas, Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Siqueira
Silvia Regina Dowgan Tesseroli de
SR
Perissinotti
Dirce Maria Navas
DM
Siqueira
José Tadeu Tesseroli de
JT
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D014277:Trigeminal Neuralgia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*